The invention pertains to a drawer slide and a method of production thereof. The drawer slide is adapted to be fastened to a drawer side wall, and has a somewhat Z-shaped profile with an upper horizontal shank forming a guide slide, a lower horizontal shank carrying the drawer side wall, a vertical shank connecting the upper and lower horizontal shanks, and one or more vertical flanges spaced apart along an edge of the lower horizontal shank opposite the vertical shank. The vertical flanges secure the drawer slide to the drawer side wall.
Standard drawers are usually made from wood, particle board, or medium density fiberboard, and are preferably equipped with metal drawer slides, which provide a stable, durable, secure and smooth operation of the drawer.
Usually, drawer slides are securely screwed or doweled on the drawer bottom or drawer side walls. However, especially with the so-called quick assembly drawers, a screw connection between the drawer and drawer slide is not desirable because it is tedious, intricate and time consuming. Furthermore, such a system involves additional costs and expense of installation, including the necessary screws.
Drawer manufacturers have endeavored to simplify the drawer assembly process and to cut cost of manufacture and assembly. Some attempt have provided some improvements but the drawer slides of many drawers are still not satisfactorily secured to the drawer side wall in a simple and economic way. Accordingly, a need exists for a drawer slide which is less expensive to manufacture and install, and which may be securely fastened to a drawer side.
Steps toward solving the problem have involved drawer slides having a somewhat Z-shaped profile, so that the bottom of the drawer side wall comes into contact with a shank, and is fastened on it by suitable means. The Z-shaped drawer slides have the disadvantage of using more material compared to the earlier U-shaped slides, but are necessary in order to produce a secure connection between the drawer slide and the drawer. An example of one such attempt, providing many desired characteristics, is the drawer slide disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,101 (the ""101 patent). The ""101 patent disclosed a drawer slide wherein vertical flanges (xe2x80x9cholding devicesxe2x80x9d) were produced along the lower horizontal shank of the slide by forming such flanges from material made available as a cut-out from material of the horizontal shank itself.
While the disclosed solution of the ""101 patent provides many benefits, a different approach may be desirable in connection with certain aspects of the manufacturing of drawer slides. For example, in may be advantageous to attach vertical flanges, initially formed as separate pieces, to the lower horizontal shank of the drawer slide. Among other benefits, this method allows vertical flanges having specific desirable features to be more easily produced. For example, the dimensions of the vertical flanges may be altered to allow the manufacture of drawer slides to fit drawer slides of various thickness, without altering the manufactured dimensions of the main component of the drawer slide.
Accordingly, the task of the present invention is to provide a drawer slide of the previously mentioned type, having improved characteristics of manufacture, and which can be fastened securely to the drawer and, especially, the drawer side wall, and which still can be produced simply and efficiently.
The present invention provides a drawer slide which may be secured to a drawer side wall in a clamp-on fashion, and which is particularly efficient and economical in that it allows installation without the use of screws. The present invention also provides a vertical flange piece which is initially manufactured as a separate piece, providing greater flexibility in design and manufacture. The invention also provides a clamp-on drawer slide which is, overall, adapted to be more securely fastened to a drawer slide. A process for the manufacture of the drawer slide of the invention is also provided.
Accordingly, in one aspect the invention relates to a drawer slide adapted to be fastened on a drawer side wall and having a somewhat Z-shaped profile comprising, an upper horizontal shank, a lower horizontal shank, a vertical shank located between and connecting the horizontal shanks, and at least one vertical flange attached to an edge of the lower horizontal shank opposite its connection to the vertical shank, wherein the at least one vertical flange is attached to the lower horizontal shank after being produced as a preformed, separate member.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a drawer slide adapted to be fastened on a drawer side wall, and having a somewhat Z-shaped profile, comprising, an upper horizontal shank; a lower horizontal shank having at least one fastener aperture; a vertical shank located between and connecting the horizontal shanks; at least one cut-out tab formed in the vertical shank, which is formed as a substantially U-shaped cut in the vertical shank, and having a free end comprising at least one bent projection adapted to be pressed into the drawer side wall; and at least one vertical flange attached to an edge of the lower horizontal shank opposite the position of the at least one cut-out tab, and comprising a vertical member and a horizontal member connected along a common edge at substantially right angles to one another, wherein the vertical member comprises at least one bent projection adapted to be pressed into the drawer side wall; wherein the at least one vertical flange is attached to the lower horizontal shank after being produced as a preformed, separate member.
Although other drawer slides provide some advantages and convenience in regard to their manufacture, additional advantages are provided by the present invention. The present invention provides a convenient and efficient method of attaching a vertical flange, as described above, to a drawer slide profile. Because the vertical flange may be preformed as a separate member prior to attachment, it may be more easily produced in a configuration having advantageous properties as part of a holding fixture, including increased strength.
Accordingly, in yet another aspect, the invention relates to a process for producing a drawer slide, the process comprising forming a somewhat Z-shaped profile comprising an upper horizontal shank, a lower horizontal shank, and a vertical shank connecting the horizontal shanks; forming at least one vertical flange comprising a vertical member and a horizontal member connected along a common edge at substantially right angles to one another; and attaching the vertical flange to the lower horizontal shank by placing the horizontal member of the vertical flange under the lower horizontal shank and pressing an area of the overlapping horizontal member and the lower horizontal shank to form a depressed portion comprising a recess in an upper surface of the lower horizontal shank and a projection in the lower surface of the horizontal member, such that the vertical flange is secured to the lower horizontal shank by close contact of the material of the lower horizontal shank and the horizontal member in the depressed portion.
After the drawer side wall is placed on the lower horizontal shank of the drawer slide, the opposing cut-out tabs and the vertical flanges may be pressed towards one another such that projections of the cut-out tab and vertical flanges are forced into the side wall material, thereby anchoring the drawer slide to the side wall of the drawer. Further, the projections of the cut-out tab may be angle toward the opposing vertical flange, at an angle of up to 45 degrees, such that when the projections of the tab are pressed into the material of a drawer side, they tend to draw the drawer slide more tightly to the bottom of the drawer side wall.
One advantage of producing such a drawer slide is that the cut-out tabs of the vertical shank are formed directly out of the drawer slide material, which, from the point of view of production, is achieved simply. Another advantage of the present drawer slide is that the separate production of the vertical flange portion allows greater flexibility in the design of the flange, and in the manufacture of the drawer slide.
Usually two holding fixtures (a xe2x80x9cholding fixturexe2x80x9d comprises a cut-out tab and opposing vertical flange, together) per drawer slide are sufficient because the drawer side wall is additionally held down on the lower horizontal shank of the drawer slide by the projections of the cut-out tab and the vertical flange. However, more than two holding fixtures can be provided, if required.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and, in part, will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention.